Lovington, New Mexico

"In cocoons, a hidden promise: Butterflies will soon be free!"  He was probably cocooned in a wheel chair for much of his life, just waiting for the day he would fly off as a butterfly. Maybe he lived a hidden promise in that cocoon as he dreamed about riding that motorcycle all over the state of New Mexico. On this headstone, the hidden promise of the cycle seems to be revealed as a butterfly: off soars his spirit. Lovington Cemetery. [2018]

Rockford, Ohio

Honoring Our Public Servants ~ Coasties:  Maybe you don't think of members of the U.S. Coast Guard as public servants, but you should. They do serve the public. From his memorial, it looks like a job he dreamed about his entire life, and then got to experience it: short but fulfilling life. Riverside Cemetery. [2018]

Wellsville, New York

Honoring Our Public Servants ~ Rescue Workers:  Rescue has been added to the responsibilities of many fire departments. And, as a loyal public servant, if you were chosen to be responsible for the Jaws of Life, you and your family would probably want to proclaim it to the world. That seems to be the case here. Woodlawn Cemetery. [2013]

Olive Hill, Kentucky

Honoring Our Public Servants ~ Sheriffs:  The sheriff has historically been the chief law enforcement officer at the county level in the United States. While the establishment of police departments changed that in some places, the sheriff remains an office of public trust and high responsibility. JOUAM and Eagle Cemetery. [2017]

Vineland, New Jersey

National Capitals on American Soil ~ Nicosia:  Between 1973 and 1989, there were two divided national capitals in the world. One was Berlin, but the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. The other one was Nicosia, which was divided in 1973. Nicosia is the capital city of what two defacto countries today? The Republic of Cyprus (capital = Nicosia) and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (capital = North Nicosia). In between is a U.N.-controlled buffer zone. Nicosia is now the last divided capital on earth. If you want to learn something more about the city, consult Geographically Yours. Siloam Cemetery. [2017]

Wayne, Michigan

In the Arms of Angels:  Her epitaph reads: "God's Resting Angel." That epitaph is almost an epithet in the purest meaning of the word: a phrase that stands in for the person's name, to wit, something put (tithenai) in addition to or upon (epi) a name. In other words, you can just call her "God's Resting Angel" without using her name. How much resting do you think she did when she was alive? Westlawn Cemetery. [2018]

Kennewick, Washington

In the Arms of Angels:  Two young souls are embraced by by two angels and backed up by an epitaph that serves as an epilogue, words (logos) spoken after or upon (epi) the end of a play. "So go and run free with the angels . . . So go and run free with the angels." Riverview Heights Cemetery. [2019]

Mattoon, Illinois

In the Arms of Angels:  Enjoy the hug Andrea. Your soul, represented here by a heart, has been lifted above the earth, but your epitaph remains behind for generations of earthlings to read. It's an epic epitaph: epic (from Greek epos, meaning word) in the sense of "beyond the ordinary." You were so BELOVED, it was epic. Rest Haven Memorial Gardens. [2017]

Burrillville, Rhode Island

In the Arms of Angels:  His epitaph reads: "In the Arms of the Angels." These are the words that were left by his survivors over (epi) his tomb (taphos). Enjoy the angelic hug Michael: Enjoy it as an introduction to the posts for the rest of this week. St. Patrick's Cemetery. [2019]

Bernalillo, New Mexico

Only the Good Die Young:  Sunset came during the Advent season. While other younglings were preparing for the holiday, he was following the light of Jesus to heaven. He was only 16. He was buried in the appropriately named: Our Lady of Sorrows Cemetery. [2017]

Twin Falls, Idaho

Only the Good Die Young: He died at 19, as a king, no less. Now, his visage stares at us across time, giving us the only clue we have to what he was as a human being. Twin Falls Cemetery. [2020]

Rapid City, South Dakota

Only the Good Die Young:  He died in 1980 when he was only 15, but flowers are still being brought to the grave. What happened to him is every parent's nightmare: loosing a son or daughter before they have even a small chance to fulfill the promises of adulthood. At least, "surely now heaven is brighter." Calvary Cemetery. [2019]

Fort Collins, Colorado

Only the Good Die Young:  His epitaph reads: "Only the Good Die Young." The good in his heart is the subject of loving scrolls from his mother and sister, who probably also authored the one on his love for music. Play on Roger: Play on as an introduction to the posts for the rest of this week. Rest Haven Memory Gardens. [2019]

Ogallala, Nebraska

Live Your Dash:  He lived his dash with his drums. Music and art are often the first subjects to go when school budgets are cut back, but a trip to any cemetery will persuade you they shouldn't be. They outrank all other subjects as headstone icons. How many people take algebra to their graves? How many take music? Ogallala Cemetery. [2019]

Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi

The First Shall be Last, and The Last First:  He was so infatuated with his A-names (plural), he had to find a spouse who could share his infatuation with A-names (plural). Notice neither one of them lists their middle names. Why not? They don't begin with A. "Mother" and "Father" says the inscription: Want to bet that their children just had to get all As in school? St. Mary Cemetery. [2014]

Tarkio, Missouri

The First Shall be Last, and The Last First:  He ripped holes in his pants; she fixed them. Given his lifestyle, he must have had a lot of holes that needed mending. Then, he realized that all he had to do was tell the woman of his dreams who he was: "I Am Thor." Anyway, have a happy Thors-day. Home Cemetery. [2019]

Cheyenne, Wyoming

The First Shall be Last, and The Last First:  Sometimes an epitaph captures perfectly not just the essence of the person but the essence of the era: "Don't call me unless it's important." He would have entered the job market in the 1950s and probably been the epitome of "the organization man," a surmise underwritten by his duds. His A-name, of course, would have been an asset as he moved up in the organization. Olivet Cemetery. [2013]

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

The First Shall be Last, and The Last First:  Here is someone who did not get the memo: A last, Z first. Instead, we have a name that spans the alphabet from A to Z. What's the national origin? Clue 1: blend-defying consonants in close proximity. Clue 2: a cross bedecked with a rosary. Clue 3: a lighthouse that looks like a pole. Now, can you think of a name that spans the alphabet from Z to A?  Calvary Cemetery. [2019]

El Dorado, Arkansas

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  Anyone born in the 1970s, grew up and fell in love with the computer. These kids became the most computer savvy generation ever, simply because they grew up as the computer was growing up. Their generation had to learn those dorky computer languages, and they all learned how to take computers apart and put them back together. Arlington Cemetery. [2018]

Clinton, Mississippi

Give Me That Old-Time Technology:  Remember analog phones? For a while, you were lucky if you had just one desk phone in your house, and you were even luckier if you had a private line! Most house phones shared a line with all the neighbors. If you picked up the receiver at just the right moment, you could covertly listen in on others' conversations. See how cemeteries can function as museums of technology? Clinton Cemetery. [2018]